


Just Keep Breathing

by Help__Obsessed_Artist



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics), Nightwing (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Red Robin (Comics)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Injury, Heavy Angst, Hurt/Comfort, LIKE SERIOUS ANGST, Near Death Experiences, Peril
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-16
Updated: 2019-04-16
Packaged: 2020-01-15 05:01:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18491872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Help__Obsessed_Artist/pseuds/Help__Obsessed_Artist
Summary: During a fight with Riddler, things go sour and Red Robin and Red Hood are buried under the rubble of an explosion. Jason's only thought is to keep his little brother breathing.





	Just Keep Breathing

**Author's Note:**

> Heyyy, my first fanfiction posted on AO3! I hope you like it. Its also my first finished Batfamily fanfic :)

Jason woke up slowly, his eyes taking far too long to drag themselves open. It was dark wherever he lay and his body shook with a rattling cough, his throat coated with dirt. The movement sent a shock down his body and his right leg shifted. Searing pain caused him to gasp, nearly blacking out as his body shook with more coughs.  
He managed to quell his coughing to ragged breaths, his leg on fire as he took a moment to look around and assess just how deep in shit he was. Rubble surrounded him in a sort of cave shape, like a building had been dropped on him. Looking down, Jason saw that his legs were buried under a particularly large slab of concrete, and he could feel that his right one was twisted and broken. Alf was gonna kill him.  
Jason touched a finger to his helmet to radio for help, but he was met only with screaming static. He tore off the stuffy hunk of metal, the whole thing a crumpled mess and Jason took in a refreshing gulp of air, resulting in more bone rattling coughs. Jason spat curses, screaming through his teeth in frustration as he tried to move the concrete trapping his legs. His left wrist screamed in protest even as he tried to ignore it.  
No luck.  
He slumped back with a sigh, swallowing the blood in his mouth and taking mental note of his injuries. A mild concussion, mangled leg and possibly foot, and the way his left wrist had burned, it was probably broken if not sprained. The injuries would have him out of commision for weeks, if he didn’t die buried under all this fucking rubble.  
Riddler was not supposed to have been this damn tough. Sure, the guy was a hard nut to crack, but it wasn’t usually _this_ hard. Jason cursed himself for underestimating the villain. Next time he saw the freak, Jason would break his leg. At least then, they’d be even.  
“Hello?!” Jason heard his voice echo throughout the area. Hopefully, someone was nearby. “Bats!!!” He tried again. He hated the idea of crying out for help, but there was no way out of this, and his family had been close by.  
Nothing.  
Well, nothing at first. Jason spent the next minute yelling as loud as he could without spiraling into coughing again, but was met only with silence.  
Jason slumped back with a mumbled ‘ _fuck_ ’ before he heard it.  
“Jay…” Came a small voice. It was faint, almost a whisper, but close by. He recognized it immediately.  
“Timmy?” Jason craned his neck to look to his right, squinting in the darkness. He noticed a gloved hand around two feet away from him, stretched out toward him on the ground. The hand led to an arm, then a shoulder, then a face, complete with a torn mask and fluttering eyes, resting on the ground. The rest of Red Robin was buried under a mountain of rubble and Jason felt his eyes widen.  
“Tim!”  
Tim’s breathing was shallow and ragged, his eyes barely cracked open and blood leaking in a slow trail from his mouth.  
“Riddler… Got the drop… on us… I couldn’t…” He coughed, and sucked in a sharp shallow breath, “I couldn’t solve… riddle in… time… My… my fault…”  
“Hey, hey, Timmy, its okay. I need you to tell me your injuries.” Jason swallowed the panic at seeing the other man being actively crushed to death. Panic wasn’t going to be any good to anyone. He squinted at the area around Tim, assessing just how much weight was on him when he saw the frantic claw markings in the dirt in front of him. Jason swallowed, trying to breathe slowly through his nose and not think about the fact that Tim had unsuccessfully (and probably in a panic) tried to claw his way out.  
“Bad…” Tim wheezed. “Broken… Broken ribs… My left arm… ‘s probably… toast…”  
“Can you feel your legs?”  
“Y… Yes…”  
“You probably don’t have a broken back then. Otherwise you’d have to join Oracle in her wheelchair club.”  
Tim let out a breathy, morbid chuckle, resulting in more wheezing coughs as he tried to suck air into a broken chest. His eyes started to flutter and Jason reached out instinctively, latching onto Tim’s hand.  
“Hey! Hey, hey, hey… I need you to stay conscious Timbo. Don’t laugh, just focus on breathing.”  
“You’re… the one… who… made me… laugh…” The way Tim sucked in air after ever word settled a cold pit in Jason’s stomach. He squeezed Tim’s hand.  
“I know, that’s on me. But I can’t bust us outta here; my legs are wedged under this damn slab, so we’re stuck here till Bruce can find us. So I need you to just breathe as slowly as you can.”  
“Hard…” Tim slurred, his eyes drooping more, but he managed to take in a deeper breath.  
“I know, Babybird, but it’ll be fine. Do you have your comm?”  
“Crushed…” He wheezed in response and Jason cursed. “Dis… Distress beacon… b-by your head… Couldn’t… R-Reach it…”  
Jason craned his neck back to see a small black button about the size of a quarter. Jason let go of Tim’s hand to grab it. He pressed it once, but it didn’t blink.  
“Fucking son of a _bitch_ -” Jason spat curses through clenched teeth as he clicked it over and over, the growing panic and pain building into a rage at the tiny device. What the hell was the point of a distress beacon that didn’t work in times of distress?  
“H… Hold…” Tim whispered, his words starting to come out with a gurgle as blood and saliva filled his mouth.  
“What?” Jason turned his head back to the other man, resisting the urge to chuck the offending beacon and shoot his way out. That tactic obviously wouldn’t work, but he was too angry to care at this point. His baby brother was currently being crushed to death.  
“Hold… for… three seconds…”  
Jason did as Tim instructed and the button began to blink red, soft beeps echoing through the cave of rubble. He slumped back with relief letting the button drop from his hand and continue to beep on the ground. With luck, Batman and Nightwing weren’t injured and could find them quickly.  
“You were… out… for a while… Afraid… you wouldn't… wake up…” Jason was going to beat the shit out of Nigma. His little brother had been frantic and terrified, trying in a panic to reach the beacon, and Jason had been knocked out the whole time because of that damn explosion.  
“Jay…”  
“Hm..?”  
“M… Sorry…”  
“What?”  
“Failed…” Tim whispered, his voice starting to fade. “My… fault…”  
“Don’t be stupid.” Jason scoffed, turning his head again to look at Tim. The boy’s eyes were unfocused but still open. “This is Nigma’s fault. The damn guy is a sadist.”  
“Matrimony…” Tim wheezed.  
“Huh?”  
“The riddle… My first is... at the front door. My second... is found in... the cereal family... My third is,” Tim paused to let out a hacking cough that sent more blood spitting on the ground, “...what most people want. My whole is... one... of the United States… The answer… was matrimony…”  
“Well who would know that?!” Jason remedied, raising an eyebrow at Tim who shook his head.  
“I… I should… k-know… It’s… our job to be one… step ahead and… I wasn’t…” Tim sucked in a breath but Jason could tell it was getting harder, making the icy feeling in his stomach worse. He turned to stare at the concrete above them.  
“Our job is to _protect_ people, Tim. And we did that tonight. As far as I know, we managed to get all the civilians out before that damn death trap caught us. We can’t always come out on top. Take it from me, I mean, I fucking died. I wasn’t exactly one step ahead of that damn clown.”  
“Does it hurt…?”  
“What?” Jason asked.  
“Does… it hurt… when you die…?”  
“... I don’t remember.” Jason lied. In truth, dying hurt worse than anything. There was overwhelming pain, then numb terror as your body stops working, organs like lungs and heart trying to restart themselves until you can no longer hold on. And then…  
You fade away.  
Tim was silent and Jason glanced at him, noticing a small tear drip off his nose.  
“I don’t… wanna die here…” Tim whispered.  
Jason grabbed his hand again, gripping it as tight as he could. “You’re not. Not while I’m around. Batman’s on his way, we’re gonna be just fine Babybird.” Jason locked eyes with him, trying to convey just how serious he was with his hard stare. Tim blinked, giving a pained smile that didn’t reach his eyes.  
They were silent for a moment, every second of the chilling silence making the pit in Jason’s stomach twist painfully.  
Tim couldn’t die here. He wouldn’t let him.  
“You were… always my… favorite…”  
Jason blinked at him. “What?”  
Tim sucked in a breath. “You were… my favorite R… Robin…”  
The other man let out a chuckle to hide his blush. “Don’t let Damian hear that. Kid thinks he’s the best after all.” Jason was quiet for a moment before a grin betrayed him. “I don’t suppose I’ve taken Dick’s spot as your favorite brother?”  
“B-Barely…” Tim whispered with what should have been a teasing smile, but looked more like a grimace.  
Jason chuckled, squeezing Tim’s hand.  
“Do you think… anyone would… miss me…?”  
“Stop it.” Jason’s tone hardened again. “You’re not going to die.”  
But if Jason was being honest, every passing second turned that statement into a lie.  
“S-Still…” Tim wheezed.  
Jason stared at him, his gaze softening. “Everyone. Everyone would miss you Babybird. Bruce and Alfie couldn’t take it, and I know Dick would break if he lost another little brother. Cass and Babs… Steph wouldn't know what to do with herself. Even Damian would be heartbroken.”  
“What… what about you…?”  
He blinked.  
“It would destroy me.”  
Tim’s eyes widened ever so slightly, but he didn’t say anything. Jason turned to look at the concrete above him, the pain in his leg and head fading to an uncomfortable throbbing.  
If Tim did die, Jason decided he would shoot Riddler between the eyes, no kill rule be damned. That bastard would have deserved it. Not only would he have killed Red Robin, Riddler would have also let his brother’s last thought be that he failed.  
Five more minutes passed until he heard something.  
There was a scraping and muffled voices, followed by a thunk as concrete was moved aside. Dirt cascaded from the rubble above them and Jason grimaced, shielding his eyes.  
Thank god.  
“Hey Timbo, they’re he-” Jason stopped, looking back at Tim. The boy’s eyes were closed, his head resting lifelessly on the ground as blood and saliva continued to pool from his lips. His hand was limp in Jason’s.  
“No… Nonononono, come on Babybird, wake up!” Jason shook his hand, trying to shake him awake, but the boy didn’t move. “Tim! Tim _listen to me_. You need to wake up. Come on!”  
He was panicking. He knew that, but he didn’t care.  
Tim wasn’t responding.  
The scraping was getting louder now and more dirt fell around him as Jason started to scramble, hands searching for anything he could use as leverage.  
His hand found a four foot metal pole, almost out of reach. Jason leaned back, wedging it under the slab over his legs and pushing up hard. Pain exploded in his wrist and leg and he spit, sputtering as he shook with the weight of the concrete.  
He didn’t know how, but by some freak miracle, there was enough room to wiggle his legs out before he let the slab fall again.  
Jason wanted to pass out, to vomit, but he ignored it, dragging his way over to his brother. He leaned down, head almost on the floor and pressed an ear next to Tim’s face.  
There was breathing. It was slight, barely audible, but it was _there_.  
His vision went double as light was starting to pool in the area around them and Jason sat up, ignoring the pain in his leg, ignoring the shaking, ignoring the way his entire body threatened to collapse as he began pushing rocks of concrete off his brother.  
“You are _not_ dying Tim. Not here, not on my watch.” Jason’s voice was shaking but his words were steel as he tried to work faster. “Don’t you _dare_ stop breathing Babybird.”  
There was a thump of boots and suddenly someone was standing over him.  
“Step back Hood.” Batman’s voice caused him to turn and he blinked. Batman pulled him back and Jason opened his mouth to scream in fury when he noticed another figure.  
Superman wasted no time greeting him, immediately moving past Jason to crouch by Tim. As he began to lift the mountain atop his little brother, Jason was taken by an arm and lifted to stand with his arm looped over Nightwing’s shoulder. Dick’s face was pale with worry and he and Jason watched as Bruce carefully moved Tim’s body out from under the rubble. Superman let the rubble fall back to the ground with an Earth-shaking bang as Bruce scanned Tim’s body.  
Before Jason could open his mouth, Bruce stood and Superman crouched to lift Tim, immediately flying out of the hole they had come in at supersonic speeds. Jason stared as they disappeared into the night.  
Bruce wasted no time walking over to Jason and scanning his body. His scanner blinked with the results and he ‘hmm’ed, touching his earpiece.  
“A, Red Robin should be arriving at the cave momentarily. He’s got multiple broken ribs and a broken arm. We’ll be arriving with Red Hood soon after.” Nightwing pulled out his grappling gun as Batman finished relaying the injury report to Alfred and sending the results of the scan to the Batcomputer, his jaw tight.  
“You guys took your time…” Jason mumbled, feeling relief finally overwhelm his body and causing him to slump further onto his brother’s shoulder.  
“Sorry.” Dick said quietly, a slight tremble to his voice as he adjusted Jason’s hold. “We had to call Superman. The whole building was a wreck...” Nightwing aimed his gun, zipping both he and Hood out of the hole, Batman close behind.  
They stumbled their way over the wrecked building, arriving at the Batmobile to see a rather shaken looking Robin waiting for them.  
Upon seeing Jason, Damian seemed to relax, if only slightly, before he crossed his arms.  
“You’re alive.” He said simply and Jason stuck out his tongue at the kid.  
“Of course I am. Can’t die twice, that would just be embarrassing.”  
Jason managed to climb clumsily into the back of the car with the help of Damian and Dick and he slumped into the seat with a groan, his eyelids suddenly heavy. He felt a tousle of his hair.  
“I’m glad you’re alright.” Was all he heard from Bruce before he slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

Tim woke up to an aching in his entire body. There was a soft beeping near his head, keeping him from drifting back into blissful unconsciousness where nothing hurt.  
_What happened_ …? Tim vaguely remembered an insane puzzle game with Riddler when…  
_**Matrimony**_. Tim thought numbly, his heart rate rising.  
He was trapped and it seemed like the whole world was tight around his body. The sound was the beacon, Bruce hadn't come yet. He must have fallen asleep, must have drifted off for a moment. He and Jason were still trapped and he was going to die.  
Tim's eyes snapped open and he let out a broken cry, screeching through a dry throat raw with dirt as he began to kick around him. His hands moved frantically to dig around him, to push the concrete off in a mad scramble to escape death.  
He couldn't _breathe_. Everything hurt; every muscle, every bone, every breath brought tears to his eyes.  
He didn't want to die.  
“Tim!”  
Then his wrists were grabbed and forced into the soft bedding below him. He let out another strangled cry, trying to swallow a chain of coughing threatening to erupt from his burning chest. He couldn't see, couldn't breathe…  
“ _Babybird_ , calm down!” One of the hands moved to his cheek and Tim's eyes shot open again. Jason was standing over him, holding him down against his flailing. “You're fine Timbo. You're safe… We're home.”  
Tim's body relaxed in an instant, breathing hard as the beeping by his head starting to slow down.  
“Jason…?” The man let go of his other wrist, cupping his other cheek.  
“The one and only.” Jason said with a grin.  
Tim let out a small sob, tears leaking onto his face. “I didn't… I-I…”  
Jason's thumb rubbed circles on his cheekbones, “Shh, its okay… Dad got us in time. You broke your ribs pretty bad… Were the blankets too tight?”  
Tim managed a nod before another sob tore itself from his chest. Everything hurt so bad…  
“Sorry about that,” Jason continued softly, “Afraid you might catch a cold with how much fluid was in your lungs.” Tim nodded at this, his crying slowing to shutters before a cough rattled his body. He let out a broken moan.  
“Here, try and sit up…” Jason's hand moved to his back to help him sit up, apologizing quietly when Tim hissed in pain. After he was settled up on some pillows, Jason was pouring something warm into a cup. He brought it to Tim's lips.  
Tim grimaced at the taste, pulling back.  
“Chamomile..?” He said thickly.  
“Damian thought it might soothe your throat. And help you sleep.”  
“Anti-coffee.” Tim said bitterly and Jason shook with laughter.  
“Yeah well, staying up all night isn't one of Alfie’s preferred recovery methods so you're stuck with this till you heal.”  
“Great…” Tim croaked sarcastically.  
There was a small knock at Tim's door and it opened for reveal Bruce, Dick, Alfred, and Damian all peeking inside.  
“Blankets were too tight.” Jason explained and they all blinked. Tim noticed they were all pale, and he felt a twinge of embarrassment at their concerned scrutiny.  
Jason broke the silence. “Well, time to tag out. Bruce, you're on Tim duty.” The man reached for his crutches on the foot of the bed, handing the teacup to his father before hobbling out the door. Dick closed it behind him.  
“How long was I out…?” Tim picked at the comforter, eyes trained on his hand. Bruce moved to sit beside him on the bed, setting the cup on the nightstand.  
“Four days.”  
“I'm sorry…” Tim whispered and he heard Bruce let out a questioning noise.  
“I didn't… I didn't solve the riddle in time… And now Jason's leg is broken… And I'm injured…” Tim sniffled. “I… I messed up…”  
He was pulled forward suddenly, his forehead pressed into Bruce's chest.  
“I don't care.”  
He more so felt than heard the words as a rumble from his dad's chest. Bruce's hand was carding through his hair while the other rubbed soft circles on his back.  
Tim felt his face get hot with tears again. “B-But-”  
“But nothing.” Bruce interrupted gently. “All I care about is that you and Jason are okay. You're both still alive, that's all that matters.” He moved back to look at his son, face still lined with worry but his gaze soft. “We all make mistakes, but as long as you’re okay, I'm happy. Do you understand?”  
Tim sniffed again, hands gripping Bruce's shirt before he buried his face back into his chest, hiccuping.  
“I thought I was going to die…”  
“I know. Its okay…” Bruce soothed, brushing his hair.  
They stayed like that until Tim's crying faded and he nodded off, slumping against Bruce as he fell into a dreamless sleep, safe, healing, and breathing.


End file.
